Santa Claus Baby Doll: Face, Hat, Beard, and Costume
Continuing the baby doll tutorial: we finish the face, knit a hat with bangs, a beard, a coat with a sash, pants, and boots for a Santa Claus baby doll.
Beginner12 minFree
Translated
Things you will learn
The doll is 17 cm tall; the face is finished with screw-in eyes, an embroidered nose, eyebrow lines, and a mouth.
The hat is knit on size 2 needles in white Alize Softy and red Yarn Art Jeans yarn, starting from 56 cast-on stitches (54 sts plus 2 edge stitches).
The beard and bangs are crocheted with a 1.9 mm hook in white Gazzal Baby Cotton yarn, using elongated loop stitches that are later cut and brushed out.
The coat is knit on size 2 needles starting from 20 stitches with raglan increases, while the pants and boots are made separately, finished with a sash and three buttons.
What you'll get
A 17 cm knitted baby doll in a complete Santa Claus costume: a hat with bangs, a beard, a coat with a sash and buttons, pants, and boots.
Materials and tools
Materials
Nako Paris yarn white, For the boots.
Alize Softy yarn white, For trimming the hat and coat.
Yarn Art Jeans yarn red, For the hat, coat, and pants.
Gazzal Baby Cotton yarn shade 3432, white, For the beard and bangs.
Large pompom, 1 piece, For the hat.
Screw-in eyes, 2 pieces, Secured with a drop of glue.
Buttons, 3 pieces, For the coat.
Stuffing, For filling the doll.
Embroidery thread (iris), black, For finishing the face.
Sewing needle, For seaming pieces and embroidering.
Tools
Crochet hooks, 1.9 mm and 2 mm, 1.9 mm for the beard, bangs, and trim; 2 mm for the boots.
Size 2 knitting needles, For the hat, coat, and pants.
Measuring 17 rows down from the crown, insert the screw-in eyes and secure them with a drop of glue. Space the eyes 5-6 single crochet stitches apart.
Embroider the nose and eyebrows
Embroider the nose in skin-tone yarn, along with eyebrow lines above the eyes, eyebrows, and a mouth. Add a little blush to the cheeks and a touch to the nose.
Knit the hat
Cast on and knit the main part
White Alize Softy yarn, size 2 needles. Cast on 56 sts (54 sts plus 2 edge sts). Edge stitches aren't counted in the pattern — always slip the first stitch without knitting it, and purl the last stitch. Rows 1-2: 54 k; switch to red Yarn Art Jeans yarn; rows 3-20: stockinette stitch.
Leave a tail for seaming, and thread the remaining stitches onto it. Seam the hat closed and attach the pompom.
Crochet the bangs
Crochet the bangs
White Gazzal Baby Cotton yarn, shade 3432, 1.9 mm hook. Chain 9, then starting from the 2nd chain from the hook, work a slip stitch, chain 4, then again starting from the 2nd chain from the hook, work 3 single crochets, slip stitch into the next stitch, chain 4 again and work 3 single crochets from the 2nd chain, slip stitch into the next stitch. Next, chain 5, work 4 single crochets from the 2nd chain from the hook, slip stitch into the next stitch. Repeat this three times, then work two more chain-4 loops.
Sew the bangs onto the hat
Leave a tail for sewing, and cut the yarn. Sew the bangs to the hat, centered at the front.
Crochet the beard
Crochet the beard base
White Gazzal Baby Cotton yarn, shade 3432, 1.9 mm hook. Chain 27, then starting from the 2nd chain from the hook, work 26 single crochets, chain 1, turn; row 2: 26 elongated loop stitches, chain 1, turn; row 3: skip 1 stitch, 23 single crochets, 1 decrease, chain 1, turn; row 4: 24 elongated loop stitches; row 5: 7 slip stitches, chain 10, skip 10 stitches, 7 slip stitches. Leave a long yarn tail, and cut the yarn.
Crochet the mustache
Join the yarn to the chain and work 10 elongated loop stitches along the chain stitches (this forms the mustache).
Cut and brush out the loops
Fasten off the yarn ends and trim them. Cut the elongated loops open and use a needle to separate them into individual strands.
Crochet the ties
Using the yarn left over, crochet a chain of 50, then tie a knot. Join new yarn on the opposite side and crochet another chain of 50. These will be the ties.
Bind off all stitches, join Alize Softy yarn, and single crochet all the way around the coat's edges and the sleeves. Sew on 3 buttons.
Crochet the sash
Crochet the sash
Red Jeans yarn, 1.9 mm hook. Chain 65, then starting from the 3rd chain from the hook, work 63 half double crochets. Fasten off the yarn ends and trim them.
Knit the pants
Cast on and knit the ribbing
Red Jeans yarn, size 2 needles. Knit in the round on five double-pointed needles. Cast on 48 sts and distribute them 12 sts per needle, then: rows 1-5: 1 k / 1 p ribbing; rows 6-14: 48 k.
Knit the legs separately
From here, knit each leg separately on two needles in turned rows. First leg: row 1: 23 k, 1 p (= edge st), turn; from here the edge stitches aren't listed in the pattern — always slip the first stitch, and purl the last one; row 2: 22 p. Bind off all the stitches using the 1.9 mm crochet hook. Leave a tail for seaming, and cut the yarn. Knit the second leg the same way, fasten off the yarn tail, cut it, and weave it in.
Seam the pants
Fold the pants and seam them using the tail left on the first leg. The pants are done!
Crochet the boots
Crochet the toe of the boot
White Nako Paris yarn, 2 mm hook. Round 1: 6 sc in a magic circle (=6); round 2: 6 inc (=12); round 3: (1 sc, inc) x6 (=18); round 4: 1 sc, inc, (2 sc, inc) x5, 1 sc (=24); round 5: (3 sc, inc) x6 (=30).
Crochet the sides of the boot
Round 6: 30 sc in the back loop only (=30); rounds 7-9: 30 sc in both loops (=30); round 10: 11 sc, 4 dec, 11 sc (=26); round 11: 11 sc, 2 dec, 8 sc (=24); rounds 12-14: 24 sc (=24). Fasten off the yarn, trim it, and weave in the end.
Crochet the second boot
Crochet the second boot the same way.
Finish and variations
Finish
Check the face details hold securely
Make sure the screw-in eyes are glued in firmly and the embroidered face details lie flat.
Variations
A stitched-on beard
Instead of relying on ties, you can stitch the beard through the surface of the head — it holds more securely, especially if the doll is meant for play.
Weighted feet
Before crocheting the boots, you can tuck a small amount of weight into the feet — for example, beads wrapped in fabric — so the doll stands more steadily.
The beard is only held on with ties and can come loose during active play.
Likely cause
Ties alone aren't the most secure way to attach the beard to the head.
How to fix it
As noted in the discussion, for extra security you can stitch the beard through the surface of the head rather than relying on the ties alone.
The doll doesn't stand well on its feet
Problem
The finished doll in its boots tips over or stands unsteadily.
Likely cause
No weight was added to the feet.
How to fix it
As suggested in the discussion, you can add a bit of weight to the feet — for example, beads wrapped in a scrap of fabric so they don't spill out.
The loops on the bangs or beard come out uneven
Problem
After cutting the elongated loops, the bangs or beard hair looks uneven.
Likely cause
The elongated loops were pulled to different lengths to begin with.
How to fix it
Try to pull the loops to an even length as you crochet — that way the hair will come out more even after cutting and brushing it out.
?FAQ
What size does the doll come out?
The doll in this tutorial comes out 17 cm tall.
What yarn do I need for the costume?
White Nako Paris for the boots, white Alize Softy for the trim, red Yarn Art Jeans for the hat, coat, and pants, and white Gazzal Baby Cotton for the beard and bangs.
What tools do I need?
Crochet hooks in 1.9 mm and 2 mm, size 2 knitting needles, stuffing, embroidery thread, and a sewing needle.
How can I make the beard more secure?
Besides the ties, you can stitch the beard through the surface of the head for extra security.
Where does this tutorial come from?
This post uses materials from Tatiana Sokolova's original tutorial.
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Don't you use any weighting? Or will the doll stand well on its own? I'd still add a little something into the feet. You could wrap some beads in a scrap of fabric so they don't spill out, and tuck that in.
Oh, this is endlessly sweet – first a baby is born as you knit, then it grows a beard and turns into a cute, cozy grandpa :love:(y) By the way, about the beard: for extra security, it might make more sense not to rely on ties, but to stitch it through the surface of the head. If I were the child, I'd definitely test how sturdy it is 🤭
Beginner12 minFree
Don't you use any weighting? Or will the doll stand well on its own? I'd still add a little something into the feet. You could wrap some beads in a scrap of fabric so they don't spill out, and tuck that in.